LA DOUCE FRANCE : LAST DAY

All too soon we had one last day to fill before we had to go back home. We looked for a zoo in the area of La Garde-Freinet where we stayed in a beautiful B&B called le Mouron Rouge, and we found one a few kilometers further, it was a little gem !

It was a small zoo and all we knew was that it was called “exotic zoo”, and it was exotic ! Most of the animals there were exotic birds but there were monkeys and kangaroo’s, goats and deer as well BUT what made it so special for me was that the planting there consisted of bamboo, cacti and succulents !!! My favorites !!! The sun was shining, there were only a few people there and we enjoyed every minute of it. We fought for the camera as my hub wanted to take a picture of all the birds !!! and I wanted a picture of all the cacti and   succulents ! We definitely need another good camera !

Here are some of the pictures we took.

THESE STATUES ARE MADE OF SPECIAL WOOD BY SOME AUSTRALIAN TRIBE WHO LIVE ON A SMALL AUTRALIAN ISLAND, THEY HAD QUITE A FEW OF THEM

A BALI SPARROW, THERE ARE MORE OF THEM IN CAPTIVITY THAN THERE ARE IN THE WILD AS THEY LIVE ONLY IN BALI IN THE WILD

THERE WERE LOTS AND LOTS OF HORNBILL BIRDS

THESE LITTLE GUYS WERE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE !!!!!

THE CAGES WERE BIG AND CLEAN BUT I AM NOT A FAN OF CAGED ANIMALS ALAS NOT EVERY ONE HAS THE MONEY TO GO AND SEE ANIMALS IN THE WILD SO FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES IF THEY ARE WELL KEPT AND IN LARGE CAGES…..

I THOUGHT THIS SMALL REE HAD BEAUTIFUL FOLIAGE, A GUM TREE MAYBE , IT DIDN’T HAVE A NAME TAG

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO UNDERSTAND FRENCH :THIS WAS A FUNNY SIGN

BEAUTIFUL YELLOW BAMBOO STEMS

A BEAUTIFUL PHEASANT

LOVELY SILVER GREY FOLIAGE

BATHING IN THE SUN

AND THIS IS THE MOTHER OF SOME OF MY FUTURE OPUNTIA’S, THERE WERE A LOT OF FRUITS ON THE GROUND SO I TOOK ONE AND THE SEEDS ARE NOW DRYING AND WILL BE SOWN IN SPRING

THE END

I hope you enjoyed the series of La Douce France, I still have lots of pictures to show you but that will be for later.

Have a great weekend all and enjoy your gardens wether it is Spring or Autumn where you live !

And thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it !

LA DOUCE FRANCE : MONACO

The day we visited the tropical garden in Monaco (le jardin tropical de Monaco) was for me the most beautiful day of our holiday in France !!! This garden was built against the slopes of a mountain and what grows against mountains in a warm climate ???? right : cacti and succulents !!! It was magic as soon as we entered the garden, I didn’t know where to look first and what to photograph as I felt like a child in a sweet shop. There were cacti and succulents everywhere and then that environment !!! We had a look over the mediterranean sea and Monaco, it was breath-taking really !!!! It was also a perfect day for a visit to this garden, the sky was blue and the sea was blue and the sun was shining, what more can you want ???!!! I was overwhelmed but happy !

But please look for yourselves, I took loads of pictures to show to you.

THIS BEAUTIFUL TREE WAS AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE GARDEN, BEHIND THE TREE YOU CAN SEE A BIT OF THE SEA IN THE BACKGROUND

CEIBA INSIGNA SAID THE LABEL, I’VE NEVER SEEN A TREE LIKE THIS ONE, I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT IMEDIATLY

A VIEW OVER THE SEA FROM THE GARDEN, LOOK AT ALL THE YACHTS !

A BEAUTIFUL AGAVE

A CACTI STILL LIFE

A BUNCH OF AGAVE STRICTA

GOLDEN BARRELS, WE CALL THEM “MOTHER-IN-LAW’S CHAIRS”

GARDENS ON TOP OF THE APARTMENTS ARE EVERYWHERE

ON THE RIGHT SIGHT IN THE BACK YOU SEE A CEMETARY

LOOK AT THIS YUCCA STEM !!! IN THE BACK YOU SEE A BIG JADE PLANT AND SOME GOLDEN BARRELS

AGAVE VICTORIA REGINAE, ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AGAVES FOR ME

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL STEM !

A HUGE OPUNTIA, LOOK AT THIS STEM, IT TURNED INTO WOOD LIKE A REAL TREE STEM !!!

A THORNY EUPHORBIA IN BLOOM

SMALLER SUCCULENTS ARE PLANTED EVERYWHERE BETWEEN THE BIGGER PLANTS

ANOTHER EUPHORBIA

CHOLLA

PORTULACARIA’S WERE EVERY WHERE, EVEN N THE SHAPE OF HEDGES

OH IF ONLY THIS COULD BE MY GARDEN !!!!!!……….

A CRISTATA FORM

A CACTUS FRUIT AS BIG AS AN ORANGE

ANOTHER PRICKLY CRISTATA FORMED BEAUTY

A FEW OF THE BIG BOYS

A FEW LITTLE GEMS

WHY OH WHY CAN’T I GROW THIS IN MY GARDEN ???

AN ARCHE MADE OF PORTULACARIA

ANOTHER GARDEN ON TOP OF A FLAT

MORE ROOFGARDENS

LOOK AT THE STEM OF THIS JADE PLANT !!!

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS AS MUCH AS I DID ! In reality it looked a lot more beautiful than what I can show you here with my pictures ofcourse. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week !

ANOTHER WEEK IN THE GARDEN

Another week gone by, a nice week weather wise, not too hot but just nice, no rain no damaging wind…everything is growing nicely and I enjoy sitting on the terrace and watch all the blooms and the garden is looking nice and smelling nice, although there still is a lot of work to do but I need a bit of a break from the hectic weeks we’ve had.

My roses finally found it warm enough to perform !

ROSA THE PILGRIM, A LOVELY SOFT YELLOW ROSE WITH A SOFT PERFUME

ANOTHER VIEW OF ROSA THE PILGRIM, SHE TURNS ALMOST WHITE AFTER A FEW DAYS

ROSA GUIRLANDE D’AMOUR, A RAMBLER WITH A HEAVENLY SMELL

I DON’T KNOW THE NAME OF THIS PINK BEAUTY, IS A CLIMBER AND SHE CLIMBS AGAINST THE AVIARY, WHEN I BOUGHT THIS ROSE THE TAG WAS OF A SOFT PINK ROSE BUT THIS IS NOT THE ONE THAT WAS ON THE PICTURE, I HATE IT WHEN THE TAGS DON’T MATCH !

CLEMATIS ETOILE VIOLETTE, ONE OF THE EASIEST CLEMATIS AND IT BLOOMS FOR A LOOOOOOONG TIME ! IT’S THE FIRST TO BLOOM AND CONTINUES TO BLOOM TILL THE FIRST FROST ! I COMBINED IT WITH ROSA CONSTANCE SPRY A PINK ROSE, BUT SHE IS NOT IN BLOOM YET.

MALVA, A LOVELY “WEED” SOWS ITSELF ARROUND BUT CAN BE EASILY REMOVED.

THE LAST OF MY DAYLILLIES TO BLOOM, A BIG YELLOW TRUMPET

PHIADELPHUS BELLE ETOILE, THE LAST OF THE BLOOMS WITH A LOVELY SMELL

I MADE SMALL BOUQUETS WITH THE JASMIN (PHILADELPHUS) SO MY HOUSE IS FULL OF THE SCENT OF JASMIN

YELLOW DAHLIA CALLED YELLOW STAR, IT IS IN A POT AN D IT IS DOING RATHER WELL

HERE YOU HAVE A BETTER VIEW OF IT, NEXT TO THE DAHLIA IS AN EUCOMIS COMMUNIS IN  A POT, BEHIND THE DAHLIA YOU CAN SEE A BIT OF MY INSIDE CACTI AND SUCCULENT COLLECTION

Now I am going to enjoy the rest of my  Sunday in the garden. Have a great Sunday all ! and thanks for stopping by !

Enjoy your garden whenever you can !!!!!

 

 

 

 

FIRST DAY OF SUMMER AND 15 C°

Yesterday it was the first day of Summer, it was 15 C° with lots of rain and wind and…we had a barbecue in the garden ! It was at my sisters place as she had something to celebrate and we had a partytent and some heating and the bbq was outside under a big umbrella, I wish I had taken some pictures of it to show you but I had my 2 grandchildren (2 and 4) with me and they sure gave me the run arround !!Besides, they have a pond and a playgarden for a 7 year old and the bbq so I could not leave them alone for a second as they are both rather wild and daring…..

Last week I put some of my tender cacti and succulents outside but I’m going to move them back in as it is too cold and too wet and the forecast is not good for the next week. But I must say the garden is green and lush, too green for the time of the year, very few flowers but I’m not complaining. What with all the flooding, bush fires, earthquakes and tornado’s elsewhere….I count myself lucky.

I did take some pictures of my garden this week as the beginning of the week was ok.

MY FIRST LUPINE APPEARED, IT SHOULD BE LUPINUS CHANDELIER AND THE CARD ON THE PLANT SHOWED ME A BRIGHT YELLOW LUPINUS, THIS IS NOT BRIGHT YELLOW, AFTER A FEW DAYS IT EVEN TURNED TO A VERY SOFT ALMOST WHITE APRICOT…..

I FOUND THESE LOVELY HANGING POTS AND I FILLED THEM WITH HARDY SUCCULENTS, AND I WANT MORE OF THEM POTS !!!!

MY FIGS ( white of marseille)HAVE NEVER BEEN AS BIG AS THIS YEAR, THEY STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE WE CAN EAT THEM THOUGH

THIS IS EUCOMIS BICOLOR

A CLOSER LOOK

MALVA PRIMLEY BLUE, I LOVE THOSE DARKER STRIPES ON THE FLOWERS

FLOWERS ON MY PHILADELPHUS BELLE ETOILE

FIRST FLOWERS ON MY GUIRLANDE D’AMOUR, A WHITE RAMBLER WITH A HEAVENLY SMELL, THIS IS A MODEST RAMBLER THAT GROWS UP TO 4 METERS HIGH WHERE OTHER RAMBLERS GO UP TO 10 METERS OR EVEN HIGHER !!

Have a great week all and enjoy your garden ! I will !

BEFORE AND AFTER

I bought 2 new plant racks for my cacti and succulents and personally I love the result and….I can put more plants on the new racks !

Before I had the racks I used these little black tables

Easter weekend was COLD but sunny, we still have  frost every night, the pond is still covered under a thick layer of ice and I have no  Spring blooms in the garden except for a few tête à tête narcissus I bought in the shop already in bloom, I planted them a few weeks back and they had snow and very low temperatures and they are still looking happy as Larry, they are so incredibly though !!!!!The forcast for the next 2 weeks is about the same, a very cold north-easterly wind and night frosts !! Is this Winter ever going to end ????

 

Have a great day all and thanks for stopping by !